Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil)
A classic, flavorful Italian pasta dish made with garlic, olive oil, and red chili flakes.
This Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is the ultimate pantry staple recipe. When you have minimal ingredients but want maximum flavor, this quick-cooking pasta is your best friend. It relies on high-quality olive oil and perfectly infused garlic to create a silky, delicious sauce in minutes.
Instructions
- 1
Cook pasta per packet minus 1 minute in salted water, reserve water, drain. Slowly sauté garlic in oil, add chilli flakes, then pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water and salt, toss, finish with parsley. Serve.
- 2
Cook pasta - Bring 4 litres / quarts of water to the boil. Add the 2 teaspoons of salt and the pasta. Cook for the packet direction time, MINUS 1 minute.
- 3
Scoop then drain (IMPORTANT!) - Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain the pasta.
- 4
Garlic oil - 4 minutes before the pasta is ready, heat the oil in a large ~30cm/12" deep pan over medium heat. (Note 3 if you don't have a pan this size). Add the garlic and sauté gently for - 3 minutes until it is a very light golden brown - don't rush this step, it's key to infuse the oil with garlic flavour. Add the chilli flakes and stir for - 30 seconds until the garlic is light golden, do not let the garlic become brown, it will be bitter.
- 5
Toss, toss, toss! Add the drained pasta, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water (125 ml) and the salt. Toss over medium high heat until you no longer see water and oil pooled on the base of the pan, it has combined to form a sauce clinging to the pasta (~1 - 1 1/2 minutes). Add parsley, quickly toss through. The pasta should be slippery and slick with sauce. If at any point the pasta gets sticky or gluggy, just add another slosh of pasta water and toss to loosen.
- 6
Serve immediately with a shower of parmesan.
I absolutely love how this dish turns simple pantry staples into something so elegant. It's a masterclass in emulsion-watching the pasta water and oil emulsify into a glossy sauce is incredibly satisfying. While it's much simpler than more complex Italian ragùs, it requires just as much respect for the ingredients to avoid bitterness. The garlic becomes sweet and aromatic, paired perfectly with the heat of the chili.
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